On December 2, a suspicious vessel was spotted 2 miles east of Government Cut off Miami Beach. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach law enforcement made the stop. What they found inside changed everything.
3,715 pounds of cocaine. Over 1,000 concealed packages. An estimated street value of $28 million.
This wasn’t some small-time operation. This was the largest cocaine seizure by a Coast Guard small boat station since 1995. Nearly three decades.
And it happened in your backyard.
The Scale of This Bust
Let that number sink in: 3,715 pounds. That’s nearly two tons of pure cocaine headed for American streets. That’s enough to supply addiction across Florida, across the Southeast, across the entire country. Every single package represented profit for transnational criminal organizations and addiction for thousands of people.
$28 million in street value means this load was worth more than most houses in South Florida. The cartels were willing to risk boats, crews, and criminal networks to get it here. Because the payoff is that massive.
And it almost made it.
How They Caught It
Coast Guard Station Miami Beach spotted the vessel. But they didn’t stop there. CBP Air and Marine Operations brought in multiple marine units and specialized search tools. When the boat was brought to the pier, CBP’s K9 team hit the scene. One alert led to another. Then agents started pulling packages—1,000+ of them—from hidden compartments.
Three subjects were taken into custody. The cocaine was seized. The operation was dismantled.
“This was the largest USCG Small boat station cocaine seizure since 1995,” said Lt. Matthew Ross, commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Miami Beach. He’s not exaggerating. This was huge.
Why This Matters Beyond the Headlines
Every pound of cocaine that makes it off that boat is a pound that doesn’t reach dealers on Miami streets. It doesn’t reach your neighborhoods. It doesn’t fuel the addiction crisis destroying families across South Florida.
When organized crime networks lose a $28 million load, they feel it. Supply gets disrupted. Profit evaporates. Routes get exposed. It sends a message: Miami’s waters aren’t an easy highway for drug smuggling.
But here’s the reality: this load was one of many. The cartels keep sending boats because the margins are enormous. A kilo of cocaine that costs thousands in South America sells for tens of thousands on American streets. For criminal organizations, a $28 million loss is painful but not fatal.
The Team Effort
This wasn’t one agency. It was the whole-of-government approach working. Coast Guard. CBP Air and Marine Operations. CBP’s Office of Field Operations. Homeland Security Investigations. Local partners. Everyone coordinated, everyone communicated, everyone executed.
“Disrupting maritime narcotics smuggling like this demonstrates the power of teamwork in safeguarding our nation and holding criminals accountable,” said Andy Blanco, Executive Director of CBP Air and Marine Operations Southeast Region. “Smugglers should be warned that our whole-of-government team is watching, and they will be caught.”
He’s sending a message directly to the cartels: Miami’s waters are watched. Your boats will be stopped. Your cocaine will be seized. Your crews will be arrested.
The Bottom Line
Coast Guard and CBP interdicted a vessel with 3,715 pounds of cocaine worth $28 million on December 2, just miles off Miami Beach. It’s the largest small boat station seizure in nearly 30 years. Three subjects are in custody. The drugs are off the streets.
But the cartels keep trying because the profit is worth the risk. For every load caught at sea, how many slip through? For every interdiction off Miami, how many succeed in other ports?
That’s the real battle at America’s maritime borders.
If you see suspicious vessel activity or suspect drug smuggling, report it to the Coast Guard or CBP. Every tip matters. Every report could stop the next $28 million load.
Report Suspicious Activity: Contact the U.S. Coast Guard or CBP with information about suspected maritime drug smuggling or illegal activity at sea.
